Time for change: 'I’ve found unnecessary ingredients hiding in baby and toddler snacks'

As a parent, it can be hard to stay on top of everything: house duties, school runs, jobs, the 50 million after-school activities that your child is signed up for, AND cook healthy, hearty snacks.

 

And to make life a lot easier for ourselves, many of us head to the convenience aisles to pick up baby finger foods and toddler snacks for our little ones.

 

However, food investigator and mum-of-two, Cherry Healey is concerned about what is in these snacks, and has partnered with baby food brand Organix to investigate what’s hiding in some of the items marketed for little ones.

Increasingly concerned about the quality and quantity of unnecessary ingredients in some of these food items, Organix commissioned a survey to uncover parents’ attitudes to snacks for babies and toddlers, and find out what they think needs to change.

• Number of ingredients: 76% of parents shocked to discover that some baby and toddler snacks contain up to 30 separate ingredients.
• Added salt: 85% of parents shocked to find some baby finger foods and toddler snacks contain almost the same level of salt as a regular bag of adult crisps. 82% shocked that extra salt is added to some baby and toddler snacks to boost the flavour.
• Regulation: 88% shocked that some of the foods sold in the baby aisle are not protected by regulations.

More than half of parents questioned (52%) said it’s difficult to find food they can trust. A quarter of parents (27%) admit to making a decision on whether to buy a food just by looking at the front of pack, despite the fact that 40% say they don’t trust the healthy food claims found there.  

But it's not just about providing healthier foods, mums and dads also want brands to be more transparent about food labelling; 31 percent of parents say it’s not always clear from labels what ingredients are included in the food.

"As a mum, I feel passionately about the quality of children’s food," Cherry said. "There are some great snack foods on supermarket shelves but there’s also some misleading labelling, and I’ve found unnecessary ingredients hiding in baby and toddler snacks, like added flavourings and salt."

"It’s time we did something about it. Join me in campaigning for #FoodYouCanTrust."

For more information, head over to Organix.com.